Lead Network Security Engineer Firewalls & Policy

Join Verizon’s TSPA (Transport Security Policy & Audit) team and help shape how network security policy is designed, deployed, and automated across the enterprise. This hybrid role in Ashburn, VA balances strategic architecture with hands-on firewall and access control leadership, with a focus on reliability, scalability, and measurable platform performance.

Compensation for this role can vary by location and confirmed job-related skills and experience. The annual salary range for the listed location(s) on a full-time schedule is $120,500.00 - $231,000.00, and the position is incentive based with potential for additional earnings.

What you’ll do

• Translate complex requirements into architecture: lead strategic alignment between business objectives and technical solutions by building scalable architectural designs and implementation roadmaps, including fault-tolerant platform architectures to support long-term growth and reliability at scale.
• Own access control design for major initiatives: collaborate with application owners to optimize policy design, compare policy approaches for efficiency, anticipate design impact, and reduce deployment risk.
• Serve as a Network Security authority: set engineering standards, drive enterprise-wide knowledge sharing, and evolve workflows that improve collaboration and accountability.
• Plan resilient operations and automation: oversee deployment strategies, hardware/software lifecycle management, and architect a resilient 24x7 support model supported by automation and observability. Define and track KPIs and SLOs to measure performance and scalability.
• Investigate incidents and improve continuously: evaluate new platforms, lead internal investigations and RFOs for access control incidents, capture lessons learned, and manage vendor evaluations.

What you bring

• Bachelor’s degree or four or more years of work experience.
• Six or more years of relevant experience, demonstrated through one or a combination of work and/or military experience, or specialized training.
• Experience in Network and Security Operations.
• Hands-on experience with firewall engineering (including F5, Juniper, Palo Alto, Checkpoint, Cisco, Fortinet, etc.), networking and routing protocols (TCP/IP, VPN), and network security fundamentals and best practices.
• Strong troubleshooting capability for network connections, complex access and routing issues, participation in technical discussions, and ability to handle on-call duties.
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively with minimal supervision, lead complex tasks and projects, mentor junior engineers, and maintain strong accountability and work ethics.

Technologies you’ll work with

F5, Juniper, Palo Alto, Checkpoint, Cisco, Fortinet, TCP/IP, VPN, and security credentialing such as CISSP and CCNP. Familiarity with FortiGate is included in the preferred technology set.

Even better if you have

• High level understanding of access control design impact on a large and complex production network.
• Understanding of the VCP Core, Edge and Far Edge networks, end-to-end.
• CISSP, CCNP or Palo Alto, Juniper, FortiGate, F5 certifications.
• Experience in training and mentoring junior engineers.

Schedule and work setup

• 40 hours per week.
• Hybrid role with a defined work location: working from home and minimum three days per week in the office, set by your manager.
• Employees are responsible for maintaining compliance with hybrid work policies.
• This role can be located in any US-based Verizon hub location.

Benefits

• Health and wellness benefit options: medical, dental, vision
• Short and long term disability
• Basic life insurance, supplemental life insurance, and AD&D insurance
• Identity theft protection
• Pet insurance
• Group home & auto insurance
• Matched 401(k) savings plan
• Up to 8 company paid holidays per year
• Up to 6 personal days per year
• Paid parental leave
• Adoption assistance
• Tuition assistance
• Potential for premium pay such as overtime, shift differential, holiday pay, allowances, etc.
• Newly hired employees receive up to 15 days of vacation per year, growing with additional service

Note: The salary range shown is for the location(s) listed on this job requisition based on a full-time schedule.